On a sun-kissed early summer evening at Honesdale’s Central Park, a crowd of about 15 people, young and not-so-young, gathered in a circle and filled the air with giddy, joyful stringed music of another time and place.

The quaint surroundings perfectly meshed with the music as the group segued from “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” to “Red Wing” to “Tombigbee Waltz.”

Concerts are commonplace at the park during the summer months, yet there wasn’t one scheduled for this particular night. This was a last-minute get together for members of the Old Time Fiddlers, who used the occasion to put on a two-hour jam session for an audience that was nowhere near as big as the group itself.

The crowd will be much larger when the Fiddlers return to Central Park Thursday at 7:30 p.m. for an official concert. Like the others they perform there, the free show should draw between 700 and 1,000 people, group leader Steve Jacobi said.

“Honest to God, this place is packed,” Mr. Jacobi said.

Ask a longtime Wayne County resident about the Old Time Fiddlers and you’re likely to get a warm nod of recognition, considering the group is now in its 35th year of performing and preserving traditional fiddle music.

Currently made up of about 23 amateur musicians, ages 8 through 83, the nonprofit Fiddlers perform about 15 concerts a year at parks, firehouses, churches, grange halls and schools throughout Wayne and neighboring counties. Often, their shows serve as fundraisers for other organizations.

The Fiddlers view themselves as both entertainers and educators. On Saturday, Sept. 13, the group will host a concert and workshop at the Beach Lake Fire Hall featuring Tim Crouch, a well-known fiddler from Arkansas who has played with country superstars like Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney.

“It’s all about trying to keep the music alive,” said Mr. Jacobi of Equinunk. “We try to encourage younger people to play, because we don’t want this music to die out.”

And they have a marvelous time pursuing those goals.

“We’re a family, honest to God. We never have any arguments. Everyone helps each other,” said 83-year-old Maplewood resident John Wargo, a 35-year member of the group. “You can be down, but when you come to a show, you forget all your troubles. We’re a close-knit group.”

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Mr. Jacobi was on board with the Fiddlers from the get go, when founders Fred Williams and John Beers first started putting together a group of like-minded musicians in the fall of 1978.

In the spring of ’79, the Fiddlers performed their first-ever gig at the Beach Lake Community Hall.

“The group originally started just as a group of friends who wanted to play music, and keep some tunes alive,” Mr. Jacobi said. “People heard of what we were doing and they wanted to hear it.”

Through the years, members have come and gone — both Mr. Williams and Mr. Beers are deceased — but the group’s mission has remained consistent in its commitment to a variety of fiddle styles, from Appalachian and New England to Canadian and Irish to Texas swing and bluegrass.

The group’s catalog now is several hundred tunes deep, with most members learning the music entirely by ear.

And the group features other instruments besides fiddle, such as guitar, mandolin, banjo, piano, upright bass, cello, accordion, penny whistle and various percussion instruments.

Five or six members sing, among them Mr. Wargo, and a few know how to clog dance.

That said, the fiddles remain the sonic centerpiece.

“It’s funny, it’s just a piece of wood, glued together, that’s got four strings on it. The bow has horse hairs strung. And you can make all this great music with it,” Mr. Jacobi said. “You don’t need power or electricity. It’s something that’s been going on for hundreds of years.”

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True to the Fiddlers’ amateur status, many members come to the group with little to no experience on their respective instruments. Mr. Jacobi has given lessons to plenty of them, including Pleasant Mount resident Lourdes Brown. She joined the group around the time of her 50th birthday.

“I went to see this group at a show in Pleasant Mount, and they were having such a good time,” said the 60-year-old retired Forest City Regional Elementary School teacher. “My sons were in the service and out of the house and I was looking for something new, so I asked Steve for lessons. And I was hooked, instantly.”

Not long after joining, Ms. Brown convinced her sister, Lake Ariel resident Margaret McCormick, 58, to join the group. “She was hooked just as quickly as I was,” Ms. Brown said.

The Fiddlers boast other blood ties. Justus resident and group percussionist Marilou Kosydar, 60, got involved through her late husband, Ernie. And then there’s the Huber family of Honesdale, made up of bassist Ron Jr., 43, his fiddler wife Tisha, 39, and their 12-year-old penny whistle-playing daughter, Julia.

“It’s nice to come out here and play and forget about the mortgage for a while, or forget that you forgot to buy dog food,” Mr. Huber said with a laugh.

The Old Time Fiddler who travels the farthest for shows is Sussex, New Jersey, resident Carl Kubie, who had spent years playing the drums in rock bands until falling hard for the fiddle. He also took lessons from Mr. Jacobi.

“You know, I just heard the fiddle, in country music, and said, ‘I want to do that,’” said Mr. Kubie, 62. “I love it. I wouldn’t drive here from New Jersey if I didn’t. The sense of family you get from playing with these people and the joy of this music. It really is joyful music. It makes me happy.”

Honesdale resident Barbara Richter, 53, has been a devoted member since Mr. Beers brought her into the fold 13 years ago. She plays fiddle, guitar, piano, sings and occasionally breaks out her accordion for a polka.

Despite the members’ various careers and interests, she said, “we all have one main connection, and that’s the music.”

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Given the Fiddlers’ focus on preservation, its members know all too well that the group’s longevity will depend on whether it can continue to bring young members into the fold.

Fortunately, its ranks already include musicians like Anna Howell. The 23-year-old banjoist and singer from Waymart joined the group about four years ago, and has since become an audience favorite on account of her superb voice and engaging stage presence. She has a penchant for funny, upbeat songs, including Little Jimmy Dickens’ “Bessie the Heifer.”

“I can have the worst day ever, and playing with the group just brings me so much joy,” she said.

Down the road, Mr. Jacobi said, he’d love to see the Old Time Fiddlers purchase a permanent home that could be used for concerts, workshops, maybe even a small fiddle museum. In addition, he’s intent on the group expanding its reach into the Scranton area.

“If people can hear one of our shows, they would be hooked, because there’s so much variety to it,” Mr. Jacobi said. “Anything to draw more interest to the fiddle, that’s the whole idea. ... There’s nothing like a big group of people who support each other and try to keep the same thing alive.”

Upcoming gigs: The group will perform Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Central Park in Honesdale. Admission is free, although donations will be accepted. On Saturday, Sept. 13, the group will host a workshop at 2 p.m. and concert at 7:30 p.m. featuring champion fiddler Tim Crouch at the Beach Lake Fire Hall, Route 652, Beach Lake. Admission is free for the workshop, and $10 for the concert. On Sunday, Oct. 19, the Fiddlers will host its annual Fall Fiddle Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Beach Lake Fire Hall. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for students and free for kids 12 and younger.

For a schedule of other upcoming performances, visit the group’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/OldTimeFiddlers. Or, call 570-224-6330, or email fiddlinaround@verizon.net.

VIDEO

Watch Old Time Fiddlers perform.

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